Suddenly sick 5-6 week old kitten

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  • 16 October, 2017 at 3:33 am #863463
    Amy
    Participant

    I have a 5 to 6 week old kitten rescued from behind our gymnastics gym here in town. Had her about 10 days. She was on replacement milk exclusively for the first several days. Transitioned her to a gruel of replacement milk and baby food meet about a week ago. She decided she didn’t want it from the medicine syringe, and only wanted it from the bowl. Shes fed about every 4 hours, except at night. I keep her with me constantly or she goes in a puppy crate for those times I can’t have her, to keep her from the other furbabies in the house.

    She was doing great until last night. My 3 yr old granddaughter spent the night, not sure if she squeezed the kitten or not. At kitten’s 2 am feeding she refused to eat. I keep kitten with me at night. She slept thru the night. Kitten has refused to eat all day, had one semi solid, mucousy stool, and one watery stool tinged with blood. Didn’t see any worms. Kitten has been sleeping all day. I have gotten her engaged in a slight bit of play, but she prefers to sleep. She did vomit once when I tried to get her to eat canned food. We have reverted back to 2 – 3 tsps of KRM only ea 4 hours with a syringe just to make sure she’s getting nourishment.

    Will call the vet in the morning, but worried out of my mind over her. Ive hand raised kittens in the past, but this is a first and Im scared for her.

    Any ideas or suggestions????

    16 October, 2017 at 2:23 pm #863474
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Yes, try goat’s milk with pedialyte mixed in and some wet food–like a gruel. She has to eat or her sugar levels will drop and you could lose her. She does need to see a vet to rule out parasites, etc., but usually you don’t see worms in a kittens stool, even though most kittens have them.

    Even if you have to get the food into her with a syringe or dropper, do it so she has some nourishment. Kittens will fight you sometimes when they like eating from a bowl because they are ‘big’, but you have to get something into her tummy.

    16 October, 2017 at 7:45 pm #863480
    Amy
    Participant

    Thanks for the advice Kittyzee!

    We got Ellie to the vet this morning and he said its overly abundant bacteria, Im assuming in her gi tract/bowels. It wasn’t our normal vet, who is on vacation. This guy wasn’t big on discussion or explanations very unlike our normal vet who explains everything. He perscribed Clavamox for her, twice a day for 10 days. Poor baby only weighs 1.3 pounds. She’s pretty much 5 1/2 weeks as I suspected.

    Ive taken her off the gruel of KRM and babyfood meat to simply KRM. Been feeding every 4 to 5 hours via syringe even if shes not happy about it. Early this morning when I went to feed her, I put a fingertip of karo on her gums first. Then I remembered the tube of NutriCal I got from our vet 10 months ago for our rescue kitty, Jack, who had developed a URI shortly after bringing him home. I got her some of that, on the gums, and mixed some with the KRM.

    Vet said not to change her food for now, and the NutriCal is good too. We have a followup appt in 2 weeks. I’ll see about your recipie for her once she’s been on the Clavamox for a few days. Maybe she’ll take it better than the KRM…adding the NutriCal to that also.

    I am happy to report that her early morning bowel movement was liquid, her BM after the vet and 1st dose of Clavamox was more solid, like soft serve ice cream. Still smells foul, but texture is a great improvement!!

    16 October, 2017 at 9:22 pm #863481
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Oh what a relief! Good on you for putting the syrup on her gums and giving her the Nutrical. You know what you are doing so go with your best instincts. Hope she continues to get better. Keep us posted.

    17 October, 2017 at 3:07 am #863491
    Amy
    Participant

    I will keep you posted. Waiting on antibiotic dose #2 later tonight….#3 in the morning. She’s still not eating voluntarily, but I managed to get her interested in a few “bites” of canned kitten food and water offered in between the KRM with Nutrical. That was encouraging. I am taking her everywhere with me, in a fabric baby sling or in the hood of a sweatshirt thhat I wear backwards so I can easily see her. I’m trying to keep her warm despite that the vet says she’s not running a fever. I’m hoping that after her morning dose of meds she’ll start eating on her own.

    I’ll let you know how she is progressing tomorrow. Thank you so much for everything!!

    17 October, 2017 at 7:29 am #863502
    lisan
    Participant

    You should consult a vet early if you not sure what’s the problem with her. Best wishes!

    17 October, 2017 at 2:28 pm #863509
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    You are welcome Amy, yes it’s crucial that she be kept warm even though she is old enough that her body should be regulating it’s own temperature. Anything that we can do to give them a leg up–because a cold kitten cannot digest anything.

    17 October, 2017 at 6:32 pm #863515
    lagatta4
    Participant

    I’m so worried about Ellie(?) – I love her and really hope she pulls through.

    Often strays have a gut full of nasty things. Livia did too, but tiny though Livia is, she was a young adult when I took her in. At first she seemed fine – so happy to eat decent food and be cuddled – but then she developed nasty, smelly loose bowels. But she cleared up after her vet visit.

    Livia’s mother is a tuxie like Ellie. They were living in the back lane, along with Livia’s brother who is, as far as I could tell, solid black like Livia, but of course there can be some white spots on his throat and belly that I didn’t see. People around here have adopted all of them. They are all very small, even well-fed.

    18 October, 2017 at 4:38 am #863525
    Amy
    Participant

    AWESOME NEWS! PROGRESS!! She finally ate voluntarily today!! I gave her 1/4 of a can of kitten food (after having to essentially gently forcing food) all day….she ate on her own!! Imjust going to let her free feed as she wants right now! But Im so excited…..I feel like she’s turned a corner!!

    18 October, 2017 at 1:43 pm #863527
    lagatta4
    Participant

    That is wonderful! How is the other end of her digestive system going?

    18 October, 2017 at 3:11 pm #863529
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Wonderful news! Keep shoving the food at her, she’s a kitten and needs all the nutrition she can get!

    19 October, 2017 at 5:03 am #863553
    Amy
    Participant

    Ellie’s BM’s have gotten much more solid. Still on the soft end, but at least its more solid. We have had great success eating voluntarily today and I’ve been adding 1/2 tsp water to 1/2 can of kitten food, just to ensure that she gets enough hydration. Also still adding the Nutrical to the food. I’m only giving her a 1/2 can (small Fancy Feast size) at a time to ensure its fresh…..but when she empties the bowl, I give her more.

    She’s been much more engaged and playful, so we are all thrilled about that! My 15 yr old son insisted on getting her a pet bed today, stating she deserved better than my sweatshirt in her little pen. (When we cant have her safely with us, Ellie has a “puppy playpen” set up so she’s safe from the other furbabies but has room to play and run) She loves her bed. He bought her toys at Wal-Mart today, also, to add to her growing collection.

    We think we may have figured out how she got sick. The town where we live is really rural and there is a very small, privately owned pet store here. The kids and I dont usually go there, but the day before (36 hrs) Ellie started getting sick we had visited the pet store. We bought her a couple of balls tyo play with. I noticed the store had a foul odor, was excessively dusty, and in my opinion, it was dirty. I think what bacteria that was causing her to be so sick, may have come from the toys we bought there. Those toys are now in the garbage. We wont return to that pet store.

    We have a trip out of town this weekend to a dance convention for my 10 yr old daughter who dances on a competative team…so Ellie will be going with us. I will have my usual pet sitter for the other furbabies, but I want to keep a close eye on Ellie just in case!

    I’ve been beyond elated at her progress after a very stressful and scary weekend. She truly has stolen our hearts!! She’s my tiny love!!

    20 October, 2017 at 12:59 am #863580
    lagatta4
    Participant

    I do hope dear wee Ellie is coming along and thriving.

    20 October, 2017 at 1:31 am #863581
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I am delighted that she is doing better and also that she has found the most loving and caring people to rule over! 😆 When I bought each of my kittens their own bed, they LOVED them! The softness and security of the beds and having one of their very own made them special. I also used a dog crate for when my kittens were little–you might even be able to take it on your out of town trip if you have to stay overnight–that way she will be safe and you will have peace of mind.

    That’s scary thinking of how she might have gotten sick. Sounds like her poops are normal now and she is eating well too. Please keep us posted on her progress!

    20 October, 2017 at 5:11 am #863589
    Amy
    Participant

    We are planning to take her on or trip, and the idea of taking our small wire dog kennel is a good one.

    She’s figured out how to get out of the puppy playpen and we have 2 puppies who are rougher than I like, with her. They go in the kennel, so she can run the house a bit (its a small house) and play with Asher, her 3 month old kitty brother, also a rescue. I sequester her to my room when the pups are out. While she’s feeling 100% better and becoming more feisty, I’m cautious due to her size and her still recovering from her tummy issues. I want her to get bigger before she fully integrates with the rest of my furry kids. (Like Asher, who holds his own)

    She definitely is a love hog, though, when it comes to sleepy time. She just wants to snuggle close….or wake you in the middle of the night with nose nuzzles…..so different from my oldest daughter’s two females. Ellie is more like my boys that way. She’s becoming the center of attention being the only girl kitty in a household if 4 boys!

    This weekend should be an adventure. Im taking her to make sure she gets her meds, doesn’t take a turn for the worst, or get overwhelmed by my other fur kids. My son is going and he’ll be at the hotel with her while Im at dance convention on Sunday….but Saturday night we’ll all hang out in the room watching movies! She’ll get to rule the room. Should be fun!!

    20 October, 2017 at 5:13 am #863590
    Amy
    Participant

    And yes…..she’s just loving her little bed….

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